Final Fantasy XVI Reviews
Whether you’re a newcomer to the series or a Final Fantasy veteran, there is a ton to love with Final Fantasy 16. Its darker tone really helps portray the grim nature of the story and the series’ return to high fantasy. I fell in love with the characters throughout the lengthy journey and am looking forward to jumping back in to test my skills in the game’s more difficult new game+ mode. Magic may be disappearing from Valisthea but its truly returned to the mainline Final Fantasy series.
Final Fantasy XVI represents a step forward for the franchise in terms of enhancing gameplay elements, but it falls short of being a truly engaging combat experience, with the otherwise fun Eikon ability system being let down by a lack of difficulty. The game thrives as a story-driven experience, with consistently spectacular scenes made more immersive by the outstanding voice acting and fine attention to detail in graphical design. Some players may find themselves wanting more from the sound design, but when the music is on point it truly shines. If rich storytelling, extensive lore, and enticing worldbuilding are your thing, you’re unlikely to be disappointed here.
Final Fantasy 16 is sure to split fans down the middle as it pushes toward a more mainstream audience, watering down some franchise staples, while removing others entirely. It is, however, a great entry point if you’ve never played the series before and one of the most spectacular-looking games so far this generation, accompanied by an enjoyable core loop that kept me invested for over 80 hours and some of the most memorable characters the series has produced in years. The localization is the best I’ve seen in FF history, with some incredible performances, and its breakdown of world history and character development is sure to be emulated and studied for years to come. Perhaps not the strongest instalment by its own huge expectations, with story that gets tonally confused, grindy quests, and some characters getting sidelined, but it is a remarkable achievement all the same.
Final Fantasy 16 successfully offers an engaging story and awe-inspiring encounters, firmly places it as a standout title in the Final Fantasy series.
Final Fantasy XVI is both a tribute to its predecessors and a brave foray into new territories. The mashup of God of War-like combat mechanics, a story reminiscent of Game of Thrones, and a dash of SNES-era Final Fantasy nostalgia is a peculiar blend that ends up a mesmerizing experience.
Square Enix deserves kudos for not being afraid to make such big changes. That being said, for all of its grand spectacle and bombastic Eikon battles, Final Fantasy XVI turns its back on many of the themes and mechanics that brought it to the table in the first place. Whether this decision was right or wrong is debatable. Fans who have grown up with the series are entitled to feel more than a little disappointed though. Ultimately, much of what many love about this series has been mercilessly swept aside in Square Enix’s attempt to attract a bigger audience.
Final Fantasy XVI crafts a deep world with plenty to explore, builds a multi-faceted story with characters that kept me playing for hours on end, and blew me away with awe at the visuals at times. Adding a genuinely fun customizable combat system kept the fun going the entire time too. And if you’ve not had enough at the end of the journey, it even adds in a few extras for New Game+. While I do have a lot of nostalgia for the older Final Fantasy titles, I feel this is the best one in the series yet.
Final Fantasy XVI, the latest installment in the beloved Final Fantasy series, has arrived and sufficiently blown the community away. Setting a new standard for storytelling, gameplay, and visuals, Final Fantasy XVI is a truly unforgettable experience.
You may not hear a playful theme song when you ride a Chocobo, but the spirit of the series lives on in how Final Fantasy XVI weaves both combat and story to create an exciting experience that is hard to put down.
Final Fantasy XVI justifies the choice of the creators to turn away from the traditional roots of the series, since the end result is so even that it will hardly fail to seduce even the die-hard supporters of the old structure.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI, while phenomenal is not perfect. It's a great story that drew me in completely, bringing me a ton of emotions and memories. Final Fantasy XVI will remain in my heart forever, and hopefully soon in yours as well. Because this is a title that absolutely cannot be missed.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI certainly excels in spectacle, boasting superb boss fights with a great combat system and narrative, but the quieter moments outside of those big scenes end up mostly uninteresting and boring with RPG elements that feel mostly inconsequential.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI enters my top 3 for 2023. With its gripping story and commendable graphics, Square Enix's latest offering is a masterpiece. Despite a few technical glitches, it verges on perfection. Its main character, Clive, takes us through a whole range of emotions. Add to this a masterful soundtrack, and we have all the ingredients to create a game that will go down as one of the best video games of the decade. Exclusive to the PS5, Final Fantasy XVI has the potential to become a system seller. For beginners, the developers have added a story mode. So you can enjoy the experience in a very gentle way. For purists, you can complete the game once again in extreme mode. Whichever way you play, I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun. After all, FFXVI could be a TV series, and it would be very popular. So, will you succeed in restoring peace to Valesthea?
Review in French | Read full review
Final Fantasy XVI, with its shift towards a more action-oriented approach, offers a mature and dark narrative that is both captivating and contentious. The game's combat system, which echoes elements of Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, is commendable, although its RPG elements appear somewhat diminished in the quest for action. Despite some irregularities in the distribution of experience points and variable quality of cutscenes, the game's epic fantasy action, dramatic set pieces, and well-crafted characters make it a standout installment in the franchise. However, the polarizing ending may leave fans with a range of reactions.
Final Fantasy XVI dares to bring a new approach to a franchise with more than three decades of existence, reinventing part of its mythology to offer a unique and revolutionary experience, meeting the needs of a new generation of consoles and players. All in all, FFXVI is exactly what the franchise needed to stay relevant in this day and age in terms of storytelling, gameplay, and technical merits. While nostalgic fans might disagree, this game is a worthy successor to the crystals legacy that began in 1987.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Its spellbinding story, emotive soundtrack, spectacular visuals, and fast-paced action combat make Final Fantasy XVI a must-play action RPG.
I may be a diehard classic Final Fantasy fan at heart, but there’s no getting past the fact that this game, with all of its high-octane, DMC-inspired action, is an absolutely phenomenal example of RPG craftsmanship. Setting out in a new direction once again, the oft-bitter, yet irresistibly engaging story and addictive, action-focused gameplay allow Final Fantasy XVI to stand tall as a phenomenal example of contemporary video game craftsmanship.
I'm totally blown away by the bold, brave new approach this game has taken, which will surely shake up the Final Fantasy formula for years to come. It has some of the best boss fights I've ever seen in gaming, along with a bonkers story that left my mouth open in disbelief. It is truly an epic experience that every role-playing fan deserves to experience for themselves.
Though Final Fantasy XVI is a fun game in its own right, much of the appeal comes from the visuals. The combat is fun, with its flashing colours, but spamming square for forty hours isn’t much fun. Though the boss fights look great, once again, it’s all visuals and doesn’t leave much for the player to do except do enough damage to trigger a cinematic and then do some quick-time events. Story-wise, they do well, with the overall goal being for Clive to destroy the Mother Crystals. However, how the story goes about this is rather messy. Characters don’t get enough development for me to care, with Benedikta Harman being a good example. Without spoilers, it felt as if they couldn’t decide her role in the story. Unless the enemies are large or bosses, they don’t really fight back and will just get smacked around. The game says you can do builds but doesn’t offer a proper way for the player. There are no different weapon types or spells. The only two stats used for combat is solely staggering and attack. They decided to go with smaller maps instead of a larger open world. Which is fine, but these areas are lifeless and lack any secrets. I was shocked to see that for a game about gods who control the elements, the elemental effect didn’t play a part in the game. Final Fantasy XVI relies too much on its visuals and not enough on the gameplay. That’s why I’m giving it the Thumb Cultures Silver Award.
While not perfect, the risks Square-Enix took with Final Fantasy XVI to focus this game on a genre completely different from many of its prior entries did manage to pay off in dividends.